Transparency And Compensation Keep Customers Satisfied When River Cruises Go Wrong

AmaWaterways’ AmaPrima in Passau.

The rivers are up, the rivers are down. When you run a river cruise line, Mother Nature is always a passenger.  

As the cruise industry heads into summer, up-and-down water levels have already begun to disturb sailings on European waters.  

First came the high waters. This month, heavy rainfall in southern Germany closed the Rhine to river cruise traffic and torrential downpours in France caused flooding in Paris that prevented river cruise lines from docking in the city. More problems are expected on the Danube, Rhine and Rhone rivers in the coming weeks, Avalon Waterways, CroisiEurope and Viking River Cruises already have announced.  

But the real problem, said river-cruise executives with whom TMR spoke, is not high levels but low ones—like the sort that plagued cruise lines last year.  

“We’re talking centimeters that are needed to clear a bridge,” Avalon Waterways managing director Patrick Clark said. “It’s not a perfect science simply because we have to deal with small amounts.”  

The water on European rivers starts in the Alps; ideally, a “good snow pack” and then gradual warming provide constant, sailable water levels for summer river sailings. Without the snow, or if the weather heats up quickly rather than gradually in the spring, there will be problems. “It’s something we have to take into account when we deploy our ships,” Clark said.  

To cover its bases, for example, Avalon deploys two ships from opposite ports at the same time for its Amsterdam to Budapest sailings. If there’s a problem area, the ships can stop before low water, switch guests, and turn around, so each set of cruisers gets to continue with its sailing relatively uninterrupted.  

Transparency and compensation 
Keeping guests happy despite disruptions comes down to two things: transparency and compensation. Clark said Avalon “tells guests in advance that if there is something—for example, if they miss some sightseeing—they will get compensated. And we still protect the travel agent commission.” 

Tauck has an animated video on its website that helps prepare guests for the possibility of disruptions, which corporate communications manager Tom Armstrong says keeps guest satisfaction high even when the water is low. Uniworld also informs guests in advance about possible water level problems.

AmaWaterways also tries to set its routes “to avoid the most critical parts at the most critical times,” said president Rudi Schreiner. Where 20 years ago most itineraries were two weeks along the Danube from Amsterdam to Budapest, now 90% to 95% of sailings are only seven nights, stopping before the biggest problem areas on the river (just after Passau to avoid the critical areas past Budapest).  

And like Avalon, AmaWaterways deploys ships concurrently so it can transfer guests and continue with sailings.  

Schreiner noted that AmaWaterways’ ships also are built to sail even the shallowest of waters, with the lowest possible draft. The captain can change a ship’s draft by manipulating weights, emptying or filling large water tanks depending on water levels.  

“We become creative there—and this gave us a lot of kudos from our guests,” Schreiner said.